Jacket
by dani2theela
Summary: Ronon needs to calm down after having hit Michael. He goes to visit Naina and finds something suspicious. #10 in the Non-Resident Indian-series. Established Relationship. Episode Related: 2.18 Michael


"You need to calm down. Keep away from Michael. Why don't you go see what Naina's doing", Ronon mimicked John's recent words in a more than unamused tone as he walked down the corridor to the lab where the young doctor was currently working.

Sure, Ronon could've held himself back and not punch Michael in the face, but just the mere existence of him on Atlantis put Ronon on edge. After all, his kind was the reason for billions of people's deaths. There was no excuse for that and even if they really had turned him human, his deeds would always hover above his head.

When Ronon arrived at the lab he knocked on the door before entering. She was talking to another scientist, explaining something on one of those tablets McKay liked to carry around all the time. The female scientist Naina was talking to, quickly looked away and blushed when she saw him.

"That'd be all, thank you", Naina said to her colleague, who in return nodded and hurriedly went out another door. "Ronon, nice to see you."

He just nodded.

"Can I help you?", she asked cautiously.

"Nah, I just wanted to see what you're up to", he said while looking around the room. "I like what you've done with the place."

"Uh-huh." Naina didn't really believe him so she waited for him to elaborate what he was really doing here. When he didn't, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Alright, what's going on?"

Ronon sighed and sat down on a chair. "I hit Michael."

Surprise was showing on Naina's face. "You what? Oh Ronon, please, tell me you're joking."

The Satedan shrugged. He couldn't really comprehend why everybody played down the danger that was Michael.

"Ronon, you really need to control yourself in such situations. It doesn't do you or Colonel Sheppard any good if you keep behaving like that. He's got his ass on the line for you."

"Yeah yeah", was the only response from him.

Naina leaned on the table right across from him. "You know, I was talking to some of the German scientists here on the base and they tell me that 'yeah yeah' in their culture means something like 'kiss my ass'."

Since Ronon was and would never be a man of many words, he raised his eyebrow and kept looking at the Indian woman. He studied her features. Her dark eyes that reminded him of chocolate, her skin tone, not dark and not light either, her dark brown hair, always neatly coiffed (sometimes braided, sometimes in a ponytail, every so often kept down or put in a bun in fancy ways), and her slender figure.

"Sheppard said to calm down, keep away from Michael and see what you're doing", he answered eventually.

"He did, didn't he?" Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Well then, you are welcome to watch me do some work. I think I still have that Golf game on one of the laptops. Sheppard put it on there."

Ronon considered that for a moment.

"Okay", was the only thing he replied.

She smiled contently and put a laptop in front of him. After expertly pushing some buttons, she turned it around so he was facing the screen.

Sometimes, he'd peek up the screen and watch her work. Naina was highly concentrated on two computer screens, pushing buttons on the keyboard in front of her, humming a melody he had never heard before and every so often comment about something in her language. He found it quite amusing that people on Earth spoke different languages. Zelenka, too, spoke a different language than Sheppard or Naina herself. And then there was the fact, that when she talked to Rodney or Radek, her use of words or better say the words themselves seemed like a completely different language, still English at the same time.

He watched her walk around a room, picking up a pen here, putting it down there, writing on the big whiteboard, erasing it again, writing on her notepad and continuing to use the computers.

"So, McKay finally let you have your own lab", Ronon asked eventually.

"Yeah", she said, proudly looking around the room. "I like it here. It's..."

"...nowhere near McKay?"

"I'd deny ever giving you a response to this, but yes."

They both laughed and Ronon once again understood why people liked her so much. It was not only that she could keep McKay in line, but she had quite the appearance when she came into the room. Ronon was not in any way interested in her, she was more like a little sister to him, but he liked being around her, talking to her. She was unlike most of the other scientists in the city. She would sit with you and listen to your stories. Sometimes they would sit on the balcony outside the Mess Hall for hours and just talk about random stuff.

He looked around and saw a few framed pictures one of the tables. Some were with her family, others with people he didn't know or with people from Atlantis. He even recognized himself in one of them.

And that's when he saw it. A jacket. Not just any jacket. It was standard Atlantis issue, but it couldn't be hers. It was too big for her. And if that wouldn't have tipped him off, then certainly the flag patch on the left arm did. It wasn't hers. Naina was from a country called India and he had seen her patch more than enough to recognize the flag. Sheppard had the same patch as the jacket in Naina's lab, so whoever's jacket it was, he or she was from the same country.

Naina looked up from her screens and followed his gaze. He noticed her blushing and immediately looking back to the computers.

"Whose jacket is this?", Ronon asked.

"I don't know, someone must've forgotten it. Maybe Sheppard when he was in here with McKay earlier", she answered, her eyes fixed on the screens, the faint pink color still on her cheeks.

"Sheppard's got his one on."

She cleared her throat, trying to busy herself with something else and hoping, that Ronon would let the matter drop and continue with the game.

"It's Lorne's, isn't it?"

"Like I said, I don't know", she said, her back now turned to Ronon to hide her emotions.

"Yeah, right."

Naina spun around, wanting to reply something, when she noticed someone standing in the doorway. She didn't want to alert Ronon about the other man's presence and looked at the Satedan, but it was too late. He turned to the door and let out a chuckle.

"Guess someone owes me a box of ice cream", he said, closing the laptop and getting up before walking towards the door.

Naina sighed, leaned her elbows on the table in front of her and put her face in her hands.

Before Ronon walked past the man standing in the doorway, he stopped next to him. "You hurt her, there's nowhere you could hide from me."

Lorne nodded slightly, his eyes gazing forward. "Understood."

Naina took a peek with one eye through two fingers, watching the short but meaningful scene take place.

Lorne turned in Ronon's direction, who was already on his way. "Ronon, let's keep this under wraps for now, okay?"

Naina couldn't hear his response, but she guessed that all Evan got was a nod, maybe just Ronon staring back at him.

"So much for 'keeping it low'."


End file.
